KRAIBURG TPE: Encapsulation and processing properties of TPEs for medical and healthcare

Recently, with the rapid development of the fields of healthcare and medical devices, the market demand for high-performance engineering plastics such as thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) has grown significantly
.
And TPE compounds have also greatly met manufacturers' expectations in terms of yield and cost-effectiveness
.

In overmolding or co-extrusion processes, TPEs are easily encapsulated with the most commonly used structural plastics without the need for additional adhesives, resulting in faster and more cost-effective processing
.

One of the main areas of TPE growth is overmolding
.
Many product designers utilize TPE to increase the "soft touch" of rigid materials
.
KRAIBURG TPE is the world's leading TPE manufacturer, offering a wide range of TPE products and custom solutions for a variety of industries, including the THERMOLAST H HC/AP series developed specifically for healthcare and medical device applications in the Asia Pacific region
.
The HC/AP family of compounds has a hardness range of 30-90 Shore A and is suitable for a variety of applications due to its wide hardness range (soft to semi-rigid)
.

Especially for medical and healthcare applications, KRAIBURG TPE's HC/AP series of TPE compounds can be overmolded to create comfortable, non-slip, wear-resistant handles, grips and buttons
.
 

The THERMOLAST H HC/AP series are processed through a multi-component injection molding and extrusion process and can be well encapsulated with polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE) resins for flexibility in product design
.
 

As a result, the compound can change surface feel through overmolding, improve aesthetics, and dampen vibrations
.
 

Comprehensive Material Solutions 

Good haptics, soft touch and ideal elasticity improve product function and design, allowing medical device manufacturers to be more creative in their product applications
.
 

KRAIBURG TPE's HC/AP compounds have good compression set properties for sealing applications
.
 

This compound can be autoclaved at 121°C or sterilized with ETO (gas), and has good thermoplastic processing characteristics and flow properties for more medical component designs
.

HC/AP series compounds can be safely used in medical applications, complying with international and domestic standards such as ISO 10993-5 cytotoxicity, GB/T 16886.
5, ISO 10993-5 and GB/T 16886.
5 biocompatibility testing, as well as a number of food Contact and medical international standards
.

Additional properties such as good chemical resistance, ideal sealing and no potential for cytotoxicity, as well as the ability to be tinted to various colour effects, make KRAIBURG TPE® HC/AP compounds a comprehensive material solution for the medical and healthcare sector scheme
.

(Image: © 2022 KRAIBURG TPE® All Rights Reserved)